Beer of the Week (w/e 11th May 2014)

Real Ale Ray: Brimstage Rhode Island Red Bitter
Aqualung: Celt Experience Bleddyn 1075
Mobyduck: Tillingbourne Evolution No.4
Wittenden: Hop Fuzz Old American Pale
hondo: Thornbridge Halcyon IPA
Bucking Fastard: Vale Gravitas
Thuck Phat: Titanic Iceberg
london calling: Wadsworth Ipanema
ROBCamra: Hopstar Dark Knight

Brimstage - Rhode Island Red Bitter

Not a bad week :-

Banks's Mild 3.5%
Brakspear Bitter 3.4%
Coach House Gunpowder Mild 3.8%
Brentwood Hot XXX Buns 3.8%
East London Brewing Company Pale 4.0%
Banks's Cereal Thriller 4.0%
Brakspear Oxford Gold 4.0%
Mighty Oak Flying Inn 4.1%
Maxim Swedish Blond 4.2%
Theakston's Paradise 4.2%
Hopcraft Naughty Boy 4.2%
Shalford Stoneley Bitter 4.2%
Brewster Hop A Doodle Doo 4.3%
Brewster Decadence 4.4%
Clouded Minds Hazelnutter 4.5%
Elephant School Peasants' Revolt 4.6%
Hopcraft Reign Of Terror 4.9%
Wild Card Queen Of Diamonds IPA 5.0%
Wadworth's / Fat Head's Rocket Man 5.2%
Brentwood Lumberjack 5.2%
Banks's Saint Archer Pale Ale 5.5%
Fuller's ESB 5.5%
Celt Experience Bleddyn 1075 5.6%

The easy winner is the Celt Experience Bleddyn 1075 at £2.35 in the E4 King's Ford. It was another pale beer with tons of New World hops. I wonder if anyone in Wales actually drinks stuff like this and the Hopcraft beers. In my experience they don't drink anything more than around 4.3% but lots and lots and lots of it.
At the other end of the list the Banks's Mild was a creditable second and was as good as I've ever tasted it.


BOTW Celt Experience Bleddyn 1075

Some decent beer this week
Darkstar - Hophead 3.8%
Wild Weather - Sundowner 3.4%
Cheddar - Gorge Best 4.0%
Cheddar - Potholer 4.3%
Timothy Taylor - Landlord 4.3%
Vale - Synchronicity 4.0%
Redemption - Trinity 3.0%
Liverpool Organic - Styrian 4.2%
Tillingbourne - Evolution No.4 4.3%
Red Squirrel - Jack Black 4.8%
Gyle 59 - IPA 5.5%
Art Brew - Earth Roots Resin 6.0%
Raw - Dark Peak Stout 4.5%
Triple fff - Ramble Tamble 5.%

This weeks winner isTillingbourne - Evolution No.4 a very refreshing hop bomb of a beer, just beating off the challenge of Art Brews Strange, but interesting and not unpleasant Earth Root Resin.

First time in a pub for around a month.
Hop Fuzz-Old American Pale. 4.2%abv. Mid brown,US Summit hops.Citrus, you know the score. Bit more body than some. Good.Taken in this pub:The Plough Inn

Thornbridge - Halcyon Ipa keg

Final two matches of the season netted a few decent pints

Dark Star - American Pale Ale
Dark Star - Art of Darkness
Surrey Hills - Greensand IPA
Mc Mullens - Country Bitter
Cotleigh - Old Buzzard
Cotleigh -Long Eared Owl
Charles Wells - Youngs London Gold
Greene King - IPA Gold :sick:
Vale - Gravitas


BOTW goes to Vale Gravitas in fine condition in The White Horse,Parsons Green.

Boating next week in good ale territory,Stoke,Hanley and Macclesfield so expecting some decent nominations.

A very quiet week with just Oakham Bishops Farewell drunk on draught.

One or two decent bottle conditioned ales slipped down though with BOTW Titanic Iceberg going down the easiest. At 4.1% this really is an exceptional thirst quencher.

I had at least 20 new beers this week and like Moby
Tillingbourne -evolution was very good.
like Aqualung I am impressed by Celt Experience
celt -Bristol meth
celt-Brigit Fire
but a low gravity beer from Wadworth was very good and is my BOTW
Wadsworth -Ipenema

Late on parade as the choice was very difficult

Five Towns - St Georges Ale
York - Liubelskie
Roosters - Londinium
Roosters - The Italian Job
Rudgate - Brew #4
Ossett - Majestic Mild
Acorn - Old Moor Porter
Clarke's - Classic Blonde
Riverhead - Lavender Blonde
Wolf - Woild Moild
Ossett - Big Red
Treboom - Yorkshire Sparkle
Roosters - Nectar
Marble - Dobber
Roosters - Yankee
Wharfebank - Printers Ink
Firestorm (Wharfebank) - Red Angel
Tapped - Stogie Stout
Hardknott - Azimuth
Taylors - Golden Best
White Horse - Village Idiot
Wentworth - Oyster Stout
Howarth Steam Brewery - Rascal
Howarth Steam Brewery - 1820 ESB
Hop Studio - XP
Slightly Foxed - Foxglove
Rat - Black Rat
Pheonix - Black Shadow


I thought it would be one of the dark beers as they were all excellent but having visited the Boltmakers on Saturday it has to be Taylors Golden Best

Hopstar win it for the second week in a row.

This time it's Hopstar Dark Knight. It claims it's a mild for Mild In May Month, but it's 4% and tastes more like a porter to me.

No matter. It's a lovely creamy dark beer that I had a couple of pints to finish off with in The Baum (where else).